Conrad Veidt

Actor

Born: 22 January 1893

Died: 3 April 1943 (heart attack)

Birthplace: Berlin, Germany

Best known as: The villainous Major Strasser in Casablanca

Conrad Veidt had a distinguished early career in German silent films, including the role of Cesare, the somnambulist in the 1919 classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. After dozens of roles in German films, the versatile actor made his way to Hollywood and had his most famous role as Major Strasser, the German officer who menaces Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca (1942). Veidt died suddenly of a heart attack on a Los Angeles golf course at the age of 50.

Extra credit: Real-life figures played by Veidt in the movies include naval hero Lord Nelson (in Lady Hamilton, 1921), mad monk Rasputin (in the 1930 German film Rasputin) and clever engineer Wolfgang von Kempelen (in the 1938 French film The Chess Player).